Sweden stay perfect against Croatia and win group E

GROUP E

SWEDEN VS CROATIA 33:25 (17:13)

H2H: 7-0-6
Top scorers: Eric Johansson 5/8, Nikola Roganović 5/8 (SWE); Zvonimir Srna 7/10 (CRO)
Goalkeeper saves: Andreas Palicka 9/20, Mikael Appelgren 5/18 (SWE); Dominik Kuzmanović 8/30, Matej Mandić 4/13 (CRO)
POTM presented by Grundfos: Andreas Palicka (SWE)

• a low-scoring opening five minutes saw goalkeepers Mikael Appelgren and Dominik Kuzmanovic at 60 and 50 per cent save efficiency, respectively
• it took until the sixth minute for Croatia to score, when Zlatko Raužan finally broke through; the teams were then tied until the 15th minute
• the co-hosts grabbed a three-goal lead (8:5), prompting a Croatian timeout. The new Croatian strategy worked for a short time with Zvonimir Srna pulling the strings to narrow the gap, but Sweden soon restored their lead and went to the break with four up
• a blistering start to the second half saw Sweden make a 4:1 run with Andreas Palicka picking up from Mikael Appelgren, giving the team in yellow a 22:14 lead just seven minutes in
• Croatia's goalless stretch went for eight minutes, after which they failed to find their footing again, with their defence not working as usual
• Sweden also beat Croatia almost exactly 15 years ago (23 January 2011) in the Malmö Arena, 29:25 at the 2011 IHF World Championship

Sweden end the group phase on a high

Sweden and Croatia share a long and rich rivalry, stretching back to their first meeting at the inaugural Men's EHF EURO in 1994. Including this encounter, the two sides have now faced each other 13 times, with five of those matches coming at the EHF EURO. Prior to this contest, both teams held two wins apiece at the European championship.

For Croatia, one of the most painful defeats came in 2018, when Sweden beat the hosts 35:31 in front of a sold-out Spaladium Arena in Split, effectively ending Croatia's medal hopes. Sweden went on to reach the final, while Croatia finished fifth. That match also closed the group phase — just like this encounter in Malmö.

Several players involved back then were once again part of this match: for Sweden, goalkeeper Andreas Palicka and Mikael Appelgren, alongside Max Darj, Hampus Wanne, Albin Lagergren and Jim Gottfridsson, and for Croatia Luka Cindrić and Marko Mamić.

Albin Lagergren was then the top scorer with six goals, and he remains impressive at the age of 33. His four goals helped Sweden extend their dominance over Croatia to 12 years, with Croatia's last victory dating back to 2014.

Photos © kolektiff images